TOURISTS FIND SPIRITUAL BEAUTY IN JUDEAN DESERT

Traditional inspiration to thousands of hermits

If you go

St. George Monastery: The monastery is not included on standard Holy Land tours. Visitors may ask tour operators to include it on itineraries ahead of their trip. The site is a 15- to 20-minute drive from Jerusalem, followed by a 15-minute walk to the monastery’s main gate. Tourists who are not part of an organized group can drive and park at the main gate, but rental cars must include West Bank insurance from one of the companies located in East Jerusalem; cars with Israel-only insurance won’t be covered here.

St. George is located in an Israeli-controlled part of the West Bank. Vehicles returning to Jerusalem must pass through an Israeli-manned checkpoint; tourists usually pass through quickly.

Mount of Temptation: Organized tours of the Dead Sea may include a stop at the Mount of Temptation, located just above the town of Jericho. Visitors who are not part of an organized tour may reach Jericho by car (but rental cars must have West Bank insurance; see notes for visiting St. George above) or private taxi. Jericho is a 25-minute drive from Jerusalem on the way to the Dead Sea. A cable car connects Jericho to the Mount of Temptation and runs daily 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Tickets are about $14 (55 shekels).

The Mount of Temptation is located in a Palestinian-controlled area of the West Bank. At the entrance to Jericho, vehicles pass through a Palestinian-manned checkpoint. Vehicles returning to Jerusalem must pass through an Israeli-manned checkpoint at the entrance to the city; tourists usually pass through quickly.

Tip: An alternative for visiting both locations without an organized tour and without renting your own car is to hire a private tour guide with his or her own car. Cost ranges from $500-$600 for up to 125 miles (200 km) a day, up to nine hours a day.

JERICHO, West Bank  Located between Jerusalem and Jericho, the Judean Desert provided an inspiration to thousands of hermits who lived here in the early Middle Ages. With its breathtaking, rugged beauty, it was the perfect setting for those searching spiritual fullness in the emptiness of the desert.

Today only a handful of monks live here, but the desert and its stunning monasteries continue to attract thousands of visitors from all over the world.

With its majestic cliffs and arid rocks stretching to the sky, the Judean Desert is a spiritual place of eerie beauty.

During the fourth and fifth centuries, it hosted a community of several thousand monks drawn by biblical stories and in search of a soulful experience. Away from earthly temptations, they lived a life of privation and isolation inside the dozens of caves scattered around this mountainous desert.

The desire to retrace the footsteps of early Christianity is still bringing pilgrims and tourists, said Elisa Moed, founder and chief executive of

Travelujah.com, a faith-based website that provides resources for Christians traveling to the Holy Land.

“This is where John the Baptist resided. He was a hermit, and part of really experiencing the footsteps and really understanding the roots of Christianity is to come here and take a look at the wilderness and the landscape and try to understand the lifestyle of John the Baptist,” she said.